Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1887-11-28

the fun ain open tor SID 6nd unc eanness
we must die. That fountain is the well
OF Be, blehem. It was dug in the night
/ 1t was dug by
THE LIGHT OF LANTERN,
the star that hung down over the msnger.
Il was dug not ct the gate of C9ssr's pal
aces, not in the park Of q Jerusalem ba--
gain maker. l. WAS dug in barn. The
camels lifted their weary heads to listen
as the work went on. The shepherds, un-
able to sleep, because the heavens were
| filed with bands of music, came down to
see the opening of the well. The angels
| OF God, at the first gush OF the living
waters, dipped their chalices of Joy into
| it, snd drank to the health of earth and
heaven, as they cried: "Glory to God in
the highest, and on earth peace" Some
times in our modern barns the water is
brought through the pipes OF the city to
the very nostrils Of the horses or cattle;
but this we'll in the Bethlehem barn was
not so much for the beasts that perish as
for our race thirst smitten, desert trav-
eled and simeon struck. On, my soul,
weary with sin, stoop down and drink to-
day out of that Bethlehem we'll
"As the heart panteth after the water
brooks, 80 my soul psnteth after thee. 0
God" You would get better under
standing of this amidst the Adirondacks
in summer time. Here comes a swift
footed deer. The hounds are close on the
track; it has lesped chssms and scaled
cliffs; it is tagged out; its eyes are roll
ing in death; it's tongue is lolling from
| ite foaming mouth Faster the deer, faster
the dogs, until 1t plunged into Schroon
lake, and the hounds can follow il no
farther, and it puts down its head and
mouth until the nostril is clean sub
merged in the cool wave, and 1 under
stand 1t: GAS the heart psnteth for the
water brook, so panteth my soul after
thee, 0 God" Ga, bring me Wster from
that well! Little child, who has learned
of Jesus in the So bath-school, bring me
some of that living water. Old man, who
fifty years ago didst find the well, bring
me some of that water. Stranger in
strange land, who used to hear sung
amidst
THE HIGHLANDS OF SCOTLAND,
to the tune of "B Innie d Ion," "The
Star, the Star of Bethlehem" bring me
some of that water. Whosoever drlnketh
of that water shall never thirst. "Oh
that one would give me drink Of the water
of the well OF Bethlehem, which is by the
gate"
Again, this gospel well, like the one
spoken of in The text, is captured well.
David remembered the time when that
good water of Bethlehem was in
the possession of his ancestors. His
father drank there, his mother drank
there. He remembered how the water
tasted when he was boy, and came up
: there from play. We never forget the
! old well We used to drink out OF when
we were boys or girls. There was some
thing in it that blessed the lips and re-
fresDed the brow better than anything we
nave fund since. As we think OF that
dear old well, the memories OF the past
wv into each other like crystalline drops,
sun-glinted, and ell the more as we re-
member that the hands that used to lay
hold the rope, and the hearts that beat
] against the WelI-curb are still now. We
s nev-r get over these "reminiscences
i George 2. Morris, the great song-writel
/ of this country, once said to me that hls
s song, "Woodmsn Spare that Tree" was
T sung in great concert-hsll, and the
D memories OF early life were so wrought
upon the audience by that song that
3 after the singing was done, an aged mai
8 arose in the audience, overwhelmed with
] emotion, and said, "Sir, will you please
: to tell me whether the woodmen really
o tree under which we played. We never
/; forget the fountain at which we drank
r Alas for the man who has no early memo
3 ries.
t David thought of that well, that boy
e hood we'll, and he wanted a drink Of it
f but he remembered that the Philistinei
had captured it. When those three men
c tried to come up to the well in behalf o
r David, they ssw
e SWORDS CLEANING
t around about it. And this is true of THU
I gospel well the Philistines have q
e times captured 1t. When we come Il
e take full, old-fsshioned drink OF pardon
r and comiott, do not their swords OF in
? dIgnation and sarcasm fl Ish? Why, tn,
p sceptics tell US that we can not come Il
:. that fountain! They say the water is no
r fiG to drink, anyhow. "f you are really
= thirsty now, there is the well OF philoso'
! phy, there is the we'll of art, there is TIT
e we'll of science" They try to substitute
It instead CT our boyish fai!h, moderI
e mixture. They say great many beau
n uful things about the soul, and they tt,
e to feed our immortal hunger on Tos'
|, leaves and mix mint-julip Of world.
= stimulants, when nothing will satisfy u
r but ga drink of the water OF the well o
h Bethlehem, which is at the gate" The,
d try to starve US on husks, when the Faith
# er's banquet is ready, and the best ring il
k taken from the casket, and the sweetes
c harp is strung for the music, and tn
swiftest foot is raised for the dance. The
d patronlzs heaven and abolish hell, and If.
) TO measure eternity with their hour-glass
e and the throne of the great God with Ihei
d ward stick! l abhor it. tell you the oil
re gospel well is q captured we'll. pra
Goo that there may be somewhere in tn
elect host three annointei men, wit
= courage enoughto go forth IN the strengt
o of the omnipotent God, with the glitter
10 ing swords of truth, to hew the way bsc
.. again to that old well. l think tn
t. tide is turning and that the oil
ia gospel is to take its plsc
again in the family, and in the university
re and in the legislative hall. Men hav
=, tried worldly PHILOSOPHERS, and hav
IS found out that they do not give any com
I fort, and that they drop an arctic mid
= night upon the death-pillow. They fla
10 when there is dead child in the house
ia and when the soul comes 10 leap into
2. THE FATHOMLEss OCEAN